Budget and time distribution for this tour - Part 7

Bus fares:

Board bus 961 from National JC bus stop to bus stop at Maxwell Food Center.
Fare: $2.58 (To and fro)

Food and Drinks:

$6 for each person (Listed at Part 4)

Heritage Center:

$10 for each person

Souvenirs:
Around $2.40 for the souvenirs

Firstly, we start our journey at Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Then we will go through the streets to shop around and buy food and other items for around 20 minutes. After that, we will buy some souvenirs along some shops for around 20 minutes. Afterwards we go to Sri Mariamman Temple for around 10 minutes. Entries are free, but if you are to take pictures, you would have to pay $3. As for video taking, it will be $5. After that, we will go to the Chinatown Heritage Center to let visitors know the history and the importance of Chinatown in the past. Finally we will go to Chinatown Complex to have lunch which will cost $2 if you are to buy Nasi Lemak, which is very popular. We will take the bus from Maxwell Food Center Bus Stop back to Hwa Chong Institution.

Buildings and things around Chinatown - Part 6

These are some of the shops that sells souvenirs in Chinatown.

The souvenirs include chinese calligraphy, paper fans, key chains, sunglasses, stickers, T-shirts, notebooks, accessories and many more. They are all of reasonable prices. They are all unique. That makes a perfect souvenir from Singapore Chinatown.

Buildings and things around Chinatown - Part 5

This is the chinatown food complex.

There are many delicious food.

Nasi Lemak

Singapore Bak Kut Teh

Otah

Satay

What is Singapore Bak Kut Teh?

Pork ribs soup. There are two main styles of cooking, the first serves up peppery and saltish clear soup. The second variety consists of a darker soya-sauce coloured soup with herbs and spices such as cinnamon.

What is Nasi Lemak?

It's rice cooked in coconut milk, with pandan leaves and even ginger or a stalk of lemon grass. It is served with everything from chicken to beef to cuttlefish. It is Malay food.

What is Satay?

Satay is an Indonesian dish, consisting of marinated beef, chicken or pork barnecued on a skewer and served with a spicy peanut sauce and cucumber salad.

What is Otah?

It is a Malay food. It is a fishcake, made from minced fish or prawn, with a mixture of spices like: chillies, garlic, shallots, turmeric, lemon grass and coconut milk.

These are the other photos that we have taken.

Food of Chinatown - Part 4

I just went to Chinatown a few days ago and what delights me the most is the wide variety of food sold there. The delicious food ranges from local food to international food. There are food such as ice kachang, a local food and some other food such as a dessert made from sausages in marshed potatoes. There are also many stalls selling ice creams and i counted 6 of them spread all over Chinatown. There is even a stall selling drinks and all of the drinks consists of soya bean and it tastes great there are also many other great food and one must check them out when they go to Chinatown.

Let us list some prices of some foods along some stalls.

- Sausage and Mash from the Wuestelstand stall
Price at $2.50

- Soya bean Milo and the Soya Bubble Tea
Price at $1 and $2 respectively

- Spring Roll
Price at 50 cents each

- Soya Milk
Price at $1

- Grass Jelly Drink
Price at $1

- Octopus from Takoyaki Stall
Price at $2 for each packet

Buildings and things around Chinatown - Part 3

This is the Sri Mariamman Temple. It is Singapore's oldest and largest Hindu temple. The Sri Mariamman Temple is situated in the Chinatown district's South Bridge Road. The Sri Mariamman Temple was established in 1843. The Sri Mariamman Temple was officially declared a national monument on 6th July, 1973. History of the Sri Mariamman Temple The history of the temple dates back to 1827 when Narayana Pillay, who was a clerk in Penang built a simple hut from attap and wood. He placed a small deity inside the hut and thus the temple started to function. Donation made by Seshasalam Pillay, an Indian landowner helped in the extension of the temple. The temple was built in 1843. Ex-convicts from India were engaged in the construction of the temple. They were specially skilled in the art of plasterwork. The temple is a dedication to the goddess Mariamman, worshipped to prevent sickness and death. The Sri Mariamman Temple was a shelter for the newly arrived immigrants, providing refuge till they got permanent shelter and work. The temple was also the main place of worship and now it is a famous national and cultural heritage center. Architecture of the History of the Sri Mariamman Temple The Sri Mariamman Temple is inspired by the Dravidian style of architecture. The "gopuram" or the tower is the most distinctive feature of the temple. There are floral decorations, images of Hindu deities flanked by the statues of Vishnu and Shiva above the temple's entrance. The main prayer room is inside the temple and it has beautifully decorated ceilings. The temple's 4 shrines are ornately decorated with onion-domes on the top. The tower or the "gopuram" over the temple's entrance is adorned with sculptures of mythological beasts, gods and goddesses. The tower is pretty much visible from a distance and the devotees can offer their prayers without even entering the temple. Strings of coconut-leaves and fresh mangoes hang above the doors of the temple standing as signs of purity and welcome. Rituals at the Sri Mariamman Temple Like all other Hindu temples the Sri Mariamman Temple also observes certain rituals. Devotees are asked to remove their shoes before entering the precincts of the temple. They wash their hands, and feet in order to purify their body. At the temple door devotees ring the bells and pray to god to grant their wishes. There is an aluminum enclosure in front of the door where coconuts are broken by the devotees and this ritual symbolizes the breaking of egos to unveil the pure inner selves. It is considered as a symbol of good luck to encircle the hall of the temple in a clock-wise direction a number of times. The temple undergoes re-consecration once in 12 years as per the Hindu tradition. Every year about one week before the Festival of lights, Deepavali, the spectacular fire-walking ceremony known as the Thimithi takes place. Due to the limit of time, we were only able to look around and take pictures from the outside. Cash is required to enter the temple at $3. These are the pictures that we have taken.

Buildings and things around Chinatown - Part 2

This is the Chinatown Heritage Centre.

It is a joint project between the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Heritage Board. It is located in three newly restored shophouses along Pagoda Street, the Chinatown Heritage Center houses a wealth of memories and untold stories from the past. Each level of the Centre will take the visitor to a different time in the history of Chinatown and allows you to trace the lives of these early settlers. The vistors can also learn about the rich cultural history of old Chinatown and end your journey with a first-hand experience of living in the dark and cramped quarters of a typical Chinatown shophouse.

What is inside the Heritage Centre

Coolie´s Cubicle - a group of young coolies occupied this cubicle, which also doubled up as an opium den. It is said that a fire once started here - caused by a careless opium smoker.

Carpenter's Family - festivities are abound in the carpenter's cubicle as he prepares for his newborn's first month celebrations.

Heritage Centre's Samsui Women - A group of thrifty Samsui women shared this little cubicle. Every morning, dressed in their characteristic red headgear, they would appear on the street, waiting to be taken to the construction sites for another day of gruelling work.

Chinatown Food Hawker's Family - A family of hawkers who peddled cooked food lived here, including a young son who was an inveterate gambler.

Chinatown Shoe Seller - Ah Ngoh Chieh lived alone in this small room, with barely enough space for her to sleep or eat. Every day, the shoe seller would drag her sacks of shoes down the stairs when it was time to open her stall.

Chinatown Painter's Family - House painter Mr Cheong had a family of five girls and three boys, a typical family in Chinatown. This cubicle portrays the life of the Cheong family sisters, who shared the room with their mother.

Heritage Centre's Majie (Female Servants) - A group of four or five servants rented this cubicle. As uniformed 'black-and-white' servants, they lived with their employers, returning only twice a month to read letters from their homes in China and to catch up with friends.

Heritage Centre's The Seamstress - See Cheng, a seamstress, was adopted by a majie (female servant) when she was young. This cubicle is recreated from her memory of how her family's room was like.

Chinatown Tailor's Shop - Styled to recreate the glory of the tailoring business at Chinatown, this ground floor shophouse is an authentic replica of the many tailor shops that used to line Pagoda Street. Behind the shop front was the main workshop where assistants did the sewing, ironing and other tailoring work.
Successful tailors may have had more than one shop and a small army of assistants and apprentices to help out. More affluent than the other occupants in the building, the tailor had his own rooms, one of which was occupied by his apprentices. He also had his own kitchen and the exclusive use of the airwell where his clothes could be hung out to dry.

Due to the short of time, we were only able to look around and take pictures from the outside.These are some of the picturs that we have taken.

Buildings and things around Chinatown - Part 1

This is the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.

Founded in 2002 by Venerable Shi Fazhao, the four storey temple/museum is dedicated to the Maitreya Buddha. Translated to English, it means The Compassionate One. Standing outside, admiring the architecture, the temple stands out from the other buildings in the vicinity, a definite treat for the eyes. Take a walk in and it will feel as though you are transported away from the hustle and bustle of Chinatown and into the Tang Dynasty era itself. It is indeed a breathtaking view all around and a unique experience to behold.

It is important to note here that the museum is after all located within the premises of a temple so if you are interested to visit the museum and the temple, appropriate attire is a definite must as a show of respect.

On the mezzanine floor of the building is the Eminent Sangha Museum. Featuring the images and life stories of the prominent monks in Singapore and all around the world, it sets the tone for the museum proper on the third floor. The monks tell a story of limitless devotion, promoting charity and providing food and shelter for the needy, their dedication worthy of awe and inspiration.

The third floor brings visitors into the museum proper, The Buddhist Culture Museum. With over 300 artifacts of Buddhist culture on display, it offers informative insights to the life of a Buddhist and the culture and arts that go with it. The artifacts were well-placed with huge murals explaining the history and meaning behind it. For the uninitiated, it offers a better understanding of Buddhism. With the Vision of the building to be the leading and best Buddhist cultural complex in the region, it definitely comes close to it with its inventory of artifacts coming from India, China, Tibet, Sri Lanka and many other countries. The Buddhist Culture Museum is a must visit for visitors going to Chinatown.

The Relic Chamber showcases several relics of Buddha, including the bone relic and blood relic of the Buddha. It showcases the symbolism of the energy left behind after the death of a venerable. It is said that seeing the relics is as good as seeing the Buddha in person and The Relic Chamber, with its wide open space and several huge stone casts will definitely leave a sensation of peace upon entering and leaving the chamber.

Due to the short of time, we were only able to look around and take pictures on the first floor. Below are some pictures we took inside the temple.